Last Hour of Flight 11
by Darth Kieduss the Wise
Summary: On September 11, 2001, Mac Taylor lost his wife Claire when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center after being hijacked. Dedicated to the victims of 9/11.
1. Introduction

**How Claire Taylor, Mac's wife, died on September 11th, 2001. This was written before I saw the episode of how she died, and I didn't watch the whole episode. Dedicated to the victims of September 11, 2001 and also to the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.**

LOGAN AIRPORT  
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS<br>SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

On the evening of September 11th, 2001, the FBI were called into Logan Airport in Boston to examine two check in bags. The bags had missed their flight, an American Airlines Boeing 767 bound for Los Angeles.

The owner of the luggage was Mohamed Atta, the ringleader in that day's terrible events.

Pulling on white CSI gloves, the two FBI agents planted a bag on the table and zipped it open. They immediately began searching it.

Inside, the FBI made extraordinary discover. Along with flight training videos, and a small copy of the Qu'ran, they found a five page document, hand written in Arabic. It was a kind of hijackers' manual and contained a bullshit justification for the attack; written by those who orchestrated it.

Words from Hijackers' manual:  
>"<em>Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called 'This World'. Afterwards, begin the 'Happy Life'.<em>"

Among the hijackers' victims on that bright, warm, September morning, were the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11, the first of the four planes to crash that day.

This story is the most detailed reconstruction yet of the **Last Hour of Flight 11**, from 7:46 AM, when Atta boarded the plane, to 8:46 AM, when the Boeing 767 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. A startling new picture emerges of how precisely how the crew relayed valuable information about their attackers to the outside world.

It was the first act...in a long war.


	2. Takeoff

LOGAN AIRPORT, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS  
>AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11<br>SEPTEMBER 11, 2001  
>07:46:02 AM<p>

With just a few passengers still to board, Flight 11 was thirteen minutes away from take off. Betty Ong was the most experienced of the cabin crew. She wasn't scheduled to work today, but she was flying so that she could join her sister on vacation in Hawaii.

"Right down this way, please," she said to a passenger.

"Hi," Amy Sweeney asked a passenger. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good."

Amy Sweeney had two young children and married to Michael, a Massachusetts police officer. She liked flying because it gave her the opportunity to do what she liked and be flexible with her time to spend with her family. After Michael and Amy had kids, they agreed that Amy would work part time, so that the majority of time she could spend with the kids and family.

COCKPIT

"Hydraulics," the co-pilot said.

The captain flipped some switches. "Set."

"Windows, doors."

The co-pilot, First Officer Thomas McGuinness was 42 years old and married with two children. His was a former Air Force pilot.

Captain John Ogonowski was 52 and married with three daughters.

"Four star check list complete," Thomas reported.

John loved flying. He absolutely loved it. He was a very experienced pilot with 23 years with American Airlines and seven years in the Air Force. He was just a man who was very skilled and anything with mechanics. He just a knack for it.

QUEENS, NEW YORK

"I'll call you when I know something...I love you."

That morning, Claire Conrad Taylor and her husband Mac Taylor, a New York CSI, had just discovered that they may have been expecting their first child.

She commuted from their small apartment in Queens to her office at an insurance company based on the 90th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Mac had wanted Claire to take the day off, but she was determined to go into the office. Although Mac didn't really want her to go to work, he wanted her to stay home so that they could tell the news to everybody or confirm it totally through a doctor or whatever they had to do. This morning, she particularly left office because she knew that she had things that she was behind at work. It was common for her. That's what she wanted to do, get to work a little earlier.

On her way to work, Claire collected another pregnancy test...just to be sure. She planned to call Mac from her office as soon as she got the results.

BOSTON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER  
>07:47:09 AM<p>

Boston Air Traffic Control Center managed some of the busiest air traffic control lanes in the world. But the job was a little easier when the weather and visibility was as good as they were that day.

"Northwest 453, speed Mach 8-Zero or greater," Jack (I can't find out the real man's name) said to his headset as he sat down. In twelve minutes, Flight 11 would take off into Boston controllers' airspace.

AMERICAN 11  
>07:47:26 AM<p>

The last passengers were now boarding Flight 11.

Karen Martin, the flight's purser, and flight attendant Barbara Arestegui would share duties in the first class cabin.

"Good morning," they told passengers.

"Welcome to American Airlines."

Among the passengers was Daniel Lewin, a brilliant and wealthy software designer. He was born and grew up in America, but moved to Israel with his family when he was 14. By his early 20s, he had become a captain in Israel's elite counter terrorism force.

"Champagne or orange juice, sir?" a flight attendant asked Daniel.

"Champagne."

He was seated directly in front of one of the hijackers, Satam al-Suqami.

One of the last passengers to board was Mohamed Atta.

Hijackers' manual:

_"When you ride the airplane, and before you enter it, you make a prayer of supplications as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said 'An action for the sake of God is better than all that is in this world'. When you step inside the plane, sit in your seat, be busy with the constant remembrance of God...God said 'All ye faithful, when you find the enemy, be stead fast and remember God constantly so that you may be successful."_

Atta took his seat, in the middle aisle directly to Daniel Lewin's left in economy class. He looked at al-Suqami, who returned his look. With the arrival of Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari, all five hijackers were now in position.

In the front passenger row of the aircraft, were the brothers Waleed and Wail al-Shehri. Waleed had a clear view of the cockpit door. He leaned his head to get a better look as one of the flight attendants opened the door to talk to the pilots. Waleed said something to his brother then looked back at Atta.

This was a military-style mission that they were on. They had done their homework, gathered enough intelligence, done enough test flights. Everything that they did was specifically tailored to accommodate their objectives.

Seating arrangements are crucial. There was the al-Shehri brothers sitting in the very front row, left to the primary aisle. Then Atta and al-Omari sitting in the primary aisle at a peak point. Then al-Suqami, sitting in the left aisle for the back.

QUEENS NEW YORK  
>TRAIN STATION<p>

At a subway station in Queens, Claire Taylor caught the end train to downtown Manhattan. Her journey would take her through the suburban sprawl of Queens and then underground through New York's financial hub around Wall Street.

AMERICAN 11  
>07:54:00 AM<p>

"American 11, cleared to push and start," Thomas said. "Tail north."

The plane withdrew from the boarding platform.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"When the aircraft moves, even slightly, say the supplication of travel because you are traveling to Almighty God. So be attentive on this journey."_

The intercom spoke as the flight attendants pulled out the emergency equipment, including the oxygen masks, life vests and seat belts. _"May we have your attention as we review the safety features of the 767 aircraft. To fasten your seat belt, insert the metal clip into the buckle..."_

The flight attendants showed the passengers how to buckle the seat belts even though most people would know how to do that. It's likely that one of the flight attendants, probably Betty Ong, had some kind of contact with one or more of the hijackers. But all five would've been trained to blend in. To play by the rules. And to do nothing to arouse suspicion.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"Do not seem confused or show signs of nervous tension. Be happy. Optimistic. Calm. Because you are heading for a deed that God loves and will accept. Smile in the face of hardship, young man, for you are heading for the eternal paradise."_

_"...If the cabin pressure changes, an oxygen mask will appear from the panel above you. Pull the mask towards you, and place the mask over your nose and mouth. Please take the time to review the safety features card located in your seat pocket."_

At that moment, Atta did as suggested as al-Suqami read his Qu'ran. Atta examined the paplet. He looked for where the cockpit door would be.

_"God is with his faithful servants. He will protect them and makes their tasks easier and give them success and victory. Say the supplication, 'Oh, Lord, block their vision from in front of them, so that they may not see'."_

After a few minutes, he folded it and placed it back in the seat pocket.

While Flight 11 was waiting for clearance to take off, Mohamed Atta made one last phone call. Daniel Lewin looked at Atta as he talked on his cell phone.

It's not known what Atta said in a call that lasted under a minute, but it is known that he called Marwan al-Shehhi, the hijack leader on board United Airlines Flight 175, which was taxing just a few hundred meters away. United 175 was also bound for Los Angeles, but would crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Atta and al-Shehhi became close friends during the planning of the attack in Hamburg, Germany, and may have been saying goodbye to one another. But they may also have been confirming that the assault on the Twin Towers was on.

"Allahu Ackbar," they told each other before handing up.

COCKPIT

"American 11 ready to taxi for Runway 25," John told ATC.

What could drive Atta and the other 18 hijackers to execute such a cold blooded attack? And what could possibly justify it?

The answer to both questions lie not in Islam, but in a set of ancient beliefs practiced only by a tiny sect of radical Muslims. There is a faction that called themselves Salafists. Within Salafism, only a minority say that the only way to implement is by force. By violence. These are the jihadists. Jihadists see themselves as holy warriors and they view any act of indiscriminate murder is justified, so long as God's name is invoked. This however, is bullshit.

Even if all the passengers on the plane were devout Muslims, they would not matter at all to the hijackers. Muslims did not matter to them. What matters to them was that ideology, that conception on what was right. And right in this case was basically what was dictated to them.

07:59:21 AM

_"American 11, heavy,"_ ATC said. _"Wind is 1-0-0 at ten knots. Cleared for takeoff at Runway Zero-9."_

"Roger Tower," Thomas responded. "American 11, cleared for takeoff, runway Zero-9."

American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Logan Airport.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"Then the aircraft takes off. This is the moment where both groups come together. So remember God as he said, 'Oh, Lord pull your patience upon us and make our feats stead fast and give us victory over the infidels'. Pray for yourself and all your brothers that they may be victorious and hit their targets. Ask God to grant you martyrdom while facing the enemy. Not running away from it and for him to grant you patience in the feeling that anything that happens to you is for him."_

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Claire Taylor arrived at the Fulton Subway Station in downtown Manhattan. It was a five minute walk from there to the World Trade Center. She loved the company. She loved the people she was with. She made friends with anybody. It was like her whole life. She would tell Mac her stories and he'd find them interesting. When she'd get home from work, they'd talk about how their days were at work.

Claire grabbed her regular breakfast, a bagel and black coffee.

"Thank you, see you tomorrow," Claire told the clerk with a smile.


	3. Hijack

**Claire Taylor isn't in this chapter, but she will in the next chapter.**

AMERICAN 11

As American 11 climbed to cruising altitude, preparations for the attack began. al-Suqami withdrew a knife from his bag and hid it in his sleeve.

The fasten seat belt sign turned off. The al-Shehhri brothers stood up and grabbed their bags from the overhead then sat down, rummaging through them.

_"Ladies and gentlemen,"_ Karen said over the intercom. _"The Captain has now switched off the seat belt sign. However, we do advise that when you are not..."_

The weapons smuggled on board by the terrorists include knives and mace. The al-Shehhri brothers pulled out their knives and hid them in their sleeves.

Following standard procedures, the flight attendants closed curtains providers between the three classes of cabin, possibly obscuring any line of sight between Atta and the al-Shehhris.

With the attack just minutes away, Atta may have been directing the hijackers to get ready, physically and psychologically, to pass beyond the point of no return. Al-Omari said a prayer.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"You must make your knife sharp and must not discomfort your animal during slaughter. Remember the words of Almighty God You are looking to the battle before you're engaged in it and now you see it with your own two eyes."_

At least one of the terrorists may have had others weapons, including something that looked like a bomb. A black box with red and yellow colored wires. al-Suqami discretely pulled out from his bag the box and the wires, connecting them together. Was the bomb real? Or was it a hoax designed to ward off a potential counter attack by the passengers and crew?

BOSTON  
>08:08:06 AM<p>

"...continue MACH 8-0 or greater," Jack said to his headset.

_"Boston Center, good morning, American 11,"_ John, the pilot of American 11 transmitted. _"with two passing through 1-9-0 through 2-3-0."_

"American 11, heavy, Boston Center," Jack responded. "Roger. Climb and maintain flight level 2-8-0."

_"Flight 2-8-0, American 11."_

AMERICAN 11  
>COCKPIT<p>

As Flight 11 continued to climb, the pilots would still be wearing their seat harnesses in their noisy cockpit.

People need to understand that when sitting in the cockpit, you're sitting forward, strapped in, you're low. You're at a complete disadvantage to anyone coming up behind you. Especially people coming up behind you extremely determined to do harm.

_"American 11, heavy,"_ Jack transmitted. _"Climb, maintain flight level 2-9er-0."_

"Flight level 2-9er-0, American 11," John confirmed.

08:12:18 AM  
>BOSTON CONTROL<p>

"FedEx 3601, contact Boston Center, 125457," Jack continued.

_"2557, Fedex 3601."_

"American 11, your traffic is at, uh, 2 o'clock at 20 miles southwest bound at 80.10."

_"American 11, roger."_

AMERICAN 11

Through a parting in the curtain, Waleed looked back at Atta.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout Allahu Ackbar, because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers."_

Atta gave his signal. Waleed tapped his brother's arm and they both charged the cockpit area.

"Allah Ackbar!" one yelled and Karen Martin screamed. They stabbed her and Barbara Arestegui, who were preparing for cabin service.

"Allahu Ackbar!" al-Omari yelled as he rose from his seat.

Daniel Lewin undid his seat belt rose from his seat and assaulted al-Omari, not realizing there was another hijacker seated behind him. He twisted al-Omari's arm behind his back, which caused him to scream. But then al-Suqami rose from his seat and went after the American. al-Suqami grabbed Lewin and cut his throat. The Israeli-American fell to the floor, holding his neck.

Atta simply sat in his seat, eyes closed and whispering a prayer.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"God said 'Strike above their neck. Strike at all their extremities'."_

BOSTON CONTROL  
>08:13:31 AM<p>

"FedEx 3258, contact Boston Center, 125457," Jack said.

_"12557, thank you, FedEx. Good day."_

"Good day. American 11, turn 20 degrees right."

_"20 right. American 11."_

AMERICAN 11  
>COCKPIT<p>

The al-Shehhris kicked the door in and charged into the cockpit.

"What the hell?" John screamed.

"Hey! Aaah!" Thomas yelled as the hijackers wrapped their arms around the pilots' necks. The pilots did fight back, but to no avail.

al-Omari and al-Suqami joined the al-Shehhris in the cockpit. al-Suqami looked back at Atta as he came with them.

Stepping over the body of Daniel Lewin, Atta calmly marched into the cockpit. He shot an evil smirk through the cockpit windscreen.

The pilots were either killed instantly or removed from effective control of the plane. At some point during the assault, flight attendant Amy Sweeney reported being shown the apparent bomb by one of the hijackers.

Rage showing on his face, al-Suqami sprayed mace or mustard gas into the forward passenger cabin, then retreated into the cockpit, closing the curtain in front of it. Shortly after the assault began, all five hijackers barricaded themselves inside the cockpit. No one else on the plane would see them again.

Coughing and choking passengers (from the mace or mustard gas) from first and business class moved back to economy class by the flight attendants.

BOSTON ATCC  
>08:13:50 AM<p>

Jack sipped his coffee.

"Aahh," he sighed with a smile, relishing the hot beverage. "American 11, heavy, now climb maintain flight level three five zero."

He got no response. Just dead silence. _Must've not heard me,_ he thought.

"American 11, climb maintain flight three five zero," he repeated. Again, no response. "American 11, Boston." Once again, no response.

Losing radio contact with an aircraft is a rare event, but is usually the result of equipment failures. But it's a cause for concern.

"Echo, Romeo, 7 Mike Lima, how do you hear?" Jack asked, seeing if it was his equipment that was faulty.

"_Mike Lima has you loud and clear."_

"American 11, Boston," Jack tried again, rubbing his chin. American 11 didn't respond. On Jack's computer screen, the flight read as:

AAL 11  
>28OC<br>1857

Flight 11 now started to drift, silently off course.

AMERICAN 11

On Flight 11, Karen Martin and Barbara Arestegui were being treated for their injuries in or near the first class galley by fellow flight attendants, using oxygen masks and other medical equipment available on board. A flight attendant stroked Karen's hair as she breathed through the mask.

They are likely to have been the first victims of 9/11. The flight attendants were attacked first, no questions about it. The hijackers had decided to take action, they were going to implement speed surprise and violence of action right away. They were going to make their point as to who they were and why they were there and so no one could mess with them.

Unfortunately for the passengers and crew of Flight 11, Daniel Lewin had been stabbed by the hijacker seated directly behind him, Satam al-Suqami. Lewin was the best equipped of anyone on the plane to try and repel the assault. But the former Israeli commando was now severely injured with a wound to the throat.

Daniel Lewin was attacked for one of two reasons. al-Suqami was sitting right behind him and it could have been that Daniel Lewin was right in reach and in range and one of the terrorists decided to use him as an example for the other passengers or Daniel Lewin decided to take action and intervene.

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11  
>COCKPIT<p>

The seats cleared of the two bodies of the pilots, Mohamed Atta took his seat in the co-pilot's seat, with Wail sitting in the pilot's seat. He had no pilot training, but it was somewhere for the big boy to sit down. As he took his seat, Atta turned a knob until it couldn't be turned. Soon after Boston Air Traffic Control lost radio contact with Flight 11, it's transponder was turned off.

BOSTON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL  
>8:21 AM<p>

On Boston Air Traffic Control screens, American 11 read as:

AAL 11  
>28OC<br>1857

Suddenly, the numbers disappeared, leaving only a moving triangle surrounded by a circle. Flight 11 was no longer transmitting information about its identity or altitude. All that remained was a radar signature showing the aircraft's location.

"American one one," Jack said. "Uh, the American on frequency. How do you hear me?"

No response. The lose of transponder data is serious, but the controller would know from the radar that plane still appeared to be in flight.

AMERICAN 11  
>COCKPIT<p>

Atta exhaled deeply, wiping sweat off his cheek.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"If everything goes well, everyone of you should pat the other on the shoulder in confidence, but remind your brothers this act is for Almighty God or to sing songs as to boast their morale or they should sing songs to boost their morale, as the pious first generations did in the throes of battle."_

"Allahu Akbar," Atta said.

"Allahu Akbar," the other hijackers repeated.

Atta grabbed the yoke, disengaging the auto pilot with the press of a button. The plane shook and some beeping aroused.

"Bismi-llah raḥmani rahim," Atta said.

"Bismi-llah raḥmani rahim," the hijackers repeated.

With the auto pilot now switched off, the aircraft was now in the complete control of Atta and the other four hijackers.

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	4. We Have Some Planes

WORLD TRADE CENTER  
>NEW YORK<p>

Claire Taylor finally arrived at the World Trade Center plaza. When she would reach her office, up in the North Tower, she planned to carry out the second pregnancy test. After that she hoped she could catch up with a heavy work load.

BOSTON CENTER  
>08:17:53 AM<p>

"American 456, resume normal speed," a woman said to her head set.

"American 11, if you hear Boston Center, ident, please, or acknowledge," Jack persisted. No response. "American 11. American One-One. Boston."

Nope.

AMERICAN 11  
>CABIN GALLEY<p>

Betty Ong, Amy Sweeney and Sara Low looked through a list of passengers. The flight attendants now organized themselves into teams to deal with the emergency on board and to get out as much information to the ground as they possible could.

"...9D, 9G..." one of them said.

They gathered details from paper work and each other about who exactly the attackers were.

"Go check it out," Amy told them.

"Okay."

"I'll come back, all right?"

Betty folded the paper work and put them up.

BOSTON CENTER

Jack leaned forward. "American 11, if you hear Boston Center, recontact Boston Center on 127.82. That's American, 127.82..."

Yet again, still no response.

AMERICAN 11  
>FIRST CLASS<p>

After all that's happened, the flight attendants made repeated attempts to contact the cockpit.

Betty Ong came out of the galley into the first to enter the cockpit, but the mace in the forward cabin made it difficult to breath. She started choking and grabbed a handkerchief nearby. Placing it over her nose and mouth, she ran back towards the rear.

"Excuse me," a man asked Sara Low. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's just a medical emergency," she lied, not wanting to panic the passengers.

In the rear galley, Betty grabbed an air phone and sat down, inhaling and exhaling to regain her breathe.

COCKPIT

But all intercom calls to the cockpit went answered. Atta looked to his right as one of the phones rang. He stared at it, then returned his attention to the sky in front of him as the phone continued ringing.

WORLD TRADE CENTER

Claire Taylor placed her things at her desk as she entered the office. She took out the pregnancy test and went to the rest room. She did her business and she eagerly waited for the results.

CABIN  
>08:19:12 AM<p>

As American Airlines Flight 77 was preparing for takeoff at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, Betty Ong attempted her first call to the ground. She dialed American Airlines' Main Reservation number. Initially she would be plagued by what seemed a poor connection and a series of misunderstandings.

_"Hello, American Airlines Main Reservation."_

"I'm number three in the back," Betty started. "The cockpit's not answering. Somebody's been stabbed in business class um, I think there's mace...that we cant breathe. I don't know. I think we're getting hijacked."

The assault was over so quickly that no one was absolutely sure what had happened inside the cockpit.

_"And what seat are you in?"_ someone asked on the other end of the phone. _"Ma'am, what seat are you in?"_

"We're some, well," Betty tried. "We just left Boston, we're up in the air. We're supposed to go to LA and the cockpit's not answering their phone."

_"Okay, but what seat are you sitting in? What's the number of your seat?"_

"Okay, I'm in my jump seat right now."

_"Okay."_

"At 3R," she said, looking out a window.

_"Okay, you're the flight attendant? I'm sorry, did you say you're the flight attendant?"_

"Hello? You're gonna have to speak up. I can't hear you."

_"Sure, what is your name?"_

"Okay, I'm Betty Ong. I'm number 3 on Flight 11."

_"Okay."_

"And the cockpit is not answering their phone, and there's somebody stabbed in business class, and there's, we can't breathe in business class. Somebody's got mace or something."

_"Can you describe the person that you said, somebody is what in business class?"_

"I'm, I'm sitting in the back. Somebody's coming back from business. Can you hold on for one second? They're coming back."

Throughout her calls to the ground, Betty is interrupted by other flight attendants, who seem to be acting as a relay team, sending constant updates from further forward.

"I don't know, but Karen and Barbara both got stabbed," Sara told Betty.

Amy Sweeney came in right beside Betty as Sara left. She made one more attempt to contact the cockpit. She grabbed the air phone, hit a button and pressed the phone to her ear.

COCKPIT

Atta grumbled as the phone rang again. Ten minutes after storming the plane, the hijackers decided it was time to talk to the passengers. But the wrong switch was keyed, and their announcement was broad casted to the ground. Atta brought the head set to his lips.

BOSTON CENTER  
>08:24:34 AM<p>

"American 11, Boston..." Jack relentlessly continued as a man came over to do anything he could to help. "...United 175, Boston Center. Roger."

Some noise erupted in his earphone.

"Is that American 11 trying to call?"

_"We have some planes,"_ Atta transmitted. _"Just stay quiet and you'll be okay. We are returning to the airport."_

Initially, the controllers didn't the phrase, 'We have some planes'.

"And, uh, who's trying to call me here?" Jack asked. "American 11, are you trying to call?"

They immediately asked for a playback of audio tape.

"Get me some playback, now," Jack told the man next to him, who went to do so.

_"Nobody move,"_ Atta transmitted again. _"Everything will be okay. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet."_

"We gotta make some calls," Jack told another man.

"I'm on it."

Boston Controllers then notified their chain of command that they believed Flight 11 had been hijacked. There were no reports of anyone on the plane hearing the Atta's transmissions. If they did, they possibly just added it to a list of things they said before they barricaded themselves in the cockpit.

**Review please. thanks.**


	5. Nobody Move Please

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11  
>08:25:27 AM<p>

Amy Sweeney headed toward one of the back seat's air phones. These require credit cards. It's possible that she borrowed a card from a nearby passenger. There is no record of a charge to Amy's or Betty's credit card accounts.

"The passengers are 10B, 9D and 9G," Jean Roger told Amy, handing her some paper containing a list of passengers and their seats as Amy dialed some numbers.

"Thanks," Amy said as Jean left.

_"Hello, American Airlines Flight Service, Logan Airport,"_ a voice said on the other end of the phone.

"It's Amy Sweeney," Amy identified. "I'm on Flight 11. The plane has been hijacked."

LOGAN AIRPORT

The at-the-time American Airlines manager Michael Woodward was working in his office, when he heard a woman loudly shout.

"What? What? A flight attendant has been stabbed?"

AMERICAN 11  
>CABIN<p>

Amy scoffed as the line disconnected. She dialed thirteen numbers.

_"Hello, American Airlines Flight Service, Logan."_

"It's Amy Sweeney," she identified again. "Listen and listen very carefully. I'm on Flight 11. The airplane has been hijacked. I have seat numbers for three of the hijackers."

_"Amy, this is Michael Woodward,"_ a male voice said. _"What's going on?"_

"Michael, this plane is being hijacked," Amy explained, then she started to give him information. "I have seat numbers for three of the hijackers. 9D, 9G and 10B..."

LOGAN

As Michael was writing down the seat numbers, his colleagues pulled up that information in the computer system. They could pull up who was sitting in that seat. And up came Mohamed Atta's reservation.

AMERICAN 11  
>COCKPIT<p>

Flying the plane, Atta wiped sweat off his forehead.

By now, United Airlines Flight 175 was airborne. The five hijackers on board had yet to make their move.

On Flight 11, Betty Ong revealed that despite the risks, the cabin crew members made at least one attempt to gain physical entry into the cockpit.

_"Would they not maintain a sterile cockpit?"_ a man from Logan Airport asked Betty.

"I think the guys are up there," she said. "They might have gone there or jammed their way up there, or, or something. Nobody can call the cockpit, we can't even get inside."

Betty and Amy Sweeney now worked closely together to report the details of the hijack to the ground.

"I just talked to Jean," Amy told Jeffrey Collman. "She said she's coming."

_"Oh, okay."_

Amy and Betty were trying to relay as much information to the ground as possible. So as Michael Woodman was talking to her, she would ask Betty 'Did you see this?' or something. They were so working in tandem so that they could get the information out.

It's now clear that while the hijackers were in control of the cockpit, the flight attendants were in full control of the passenger cabins. What was most impressive was their calmness. That they were relaying information as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. They were following procedures to ensure safe landing and the safety of all the passengers on board.

"It's just, uh, a medical emergency, ma'am, but, um..." Jean told a passenger. Before September 11th, 2001, cabin crews were trained in the event of a hijacking to maintain calm among the passengers. Because their was only three cases of suicidal hijackings in the past, all of which failed, no procedure was made to intervene in the case of a hijacking. "It's a medical emergency. So everything's going to be just fine."

The flight attendants used a cover story that it was all just a medical emergency. It's possible that the passengers evacuated from first class and business who witnessed the attack went along with this in order to prevent the spread of panic.

Amy Sweeney told Michael Woodward that the cabin crew's efforts seemed to be working.

"Wait, wait, wait," she told him as Jean came back with more info.

"All right," Amy said, nodding as Jean spoke to her.

What Amy did say was that everybody in the coach cabin was very calm. They had no idea that the airplane was being hijacked by Atta and his four 'muscle' hijackers. In the background, there wasn't screaming. It was very calm. Calm, meaning there wasn't any commotion. There wasn't any noise. Obviously, she was concerned.

08:27:22 AM

Until now, Flight 11 had been drifting on a north western path. Suddenly, the hijackers executed a dangerously sharp, 180 degree left turn. The passengers were thrown to the left as the plane banked. They screamed for a few moments before the plane finally stabilized. The plane was now heading south, erratically following the course of the Hudson River, which lead straight to New York City.

08:34 AM

When the gas settled and dissolved, Jean Roger approached the cockpit door. She tapped the door with her knuckles, but even she didn't hear it. She tapped again louder five times.

COCKPIT

The hijackers jumped, looking back at the cockpit door. They began talking to each other and telling each other what to do while Atta got the headset back out. It took him a second because the wires had gotten tangled.

"Nobody move, please," he said, still transmitting to the ground. "We're going back to the airport. Don't try to make any stupid moves."

UNITED 175

"What the hell was that?" Captain Victor Saracini asked First Officer Michael Horrocks.

The transmission was picked up not just by air traffic controllers, but by United Airlines Flight 175, which would be hijacked in six minutes.

WORLD TRADE CENTER  
>NEW YORK<p>

Having done a second pregnancy test, Claire Taylor called her husband with the news that it was positive. She was excited, but also a little nervous.

"Hi," she said when Mac picked up. "Yeah. I did the test...It's positive. We're having a baby...Really?"

She always called when Mac was home on his day off to let him know that she was at work. Around 8:40, the first words out of his mouth was mazel tov.

"What are we going to do about this?" she asked with a smile on her face. She wanted to make sure that this was real, because she couldn't believe it. It was overwhelming to her and overwhelming to Mac.

_"What do you think?"_ he asked. _"We're gonna raise him or her and be proud parents. Baby, I'm so nervous, I could melt. We're gonna be parents."_

Claire struggled to hold back a squeal of delight.

AMERICAN 11  
>08:36:26 A.M.<p>

Atta turned the yoke to the right, shifting the plane into a sharp turn once again.

"We're making another sharp turn," Betty told the ground, looking out a window. "All the way onto our side."

Flight 11 had made another dangerous course change, possibly as the result of the hijackers' inexperience as pilots.

UNITED 175  
>08:37:00 AM<p>

Boston Air Traffic Controllers radioed United 175 to ask if they could see Flight 11.

_"Do you have traffic? Look at your, um, twelve to one o'clock about, uh, ten miles southbound to see if you can see an American 767 out there, please."_

Victor and Michael looked through the wind shield, searching like eagles. There it was.

"I see him," Victor reported.

"Affirmative, we have him," Michael said. "He's at, uh, about twenty...twenty nine, twenty eight thousand."

_"United 175, turn 5, turn 30 degrees to the right. I want to keep you away from his traffic."_

BOSTON  
>08:38:48 AM<p>

Boston controllers then broke official protocol and tried to make direct calls to the military.

"Hi, Boston Center TMU, we have a problem here," someone told North East Air Defense Sector. "We have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York. And we need you guys to...we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there. Help us out."

_"Is this real world or exercise?"_ NEADS asked.

"No. This is not an exercise. Not a test."

It would be another 9 minutes before fighters were scrambled.

AMERICAN 11

On this cloudless morning, the Twin Towers would now be clearly in sight. Betty Ong and Amy Sweeney both report to the ground that the aircraft was being thrown around violently. Bags fell out of the overhead containers and slammed to the floor as the plane shook. The hijackers then executed yet another terrifying maneuver...a steep, and barely controlled dive. Atta pushed down on the yoke, pushing the plane into the near vertical. Everyone in the cabins were slung forward in their seats as the plane descended.

"We're making a rapid descent," Amy told Michael. She was now starting to get scared. For flight attendants to use the term 'rapid', it means it's quick, it's fast, something's going on. They're used to tons of turbulence and bumpy flights and all but she was really, really nervous at this point.

NEW YORK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL  
>08:41:05 AM<p>

Flight 11 had just then entered the airspace of New York traffic controllers. United 175 reported the suspicious transmission that they picked up earlier.

_"New York, 175, heavy,"_ Victor said.

"United 175, go ahead," an air traffic controller said.

_"We figured we'd wait to go to your center. We heard a suspicious transmission from our departure out of Boston. Someone keyed the mike and said 'Everybody stay in your seats'."_

"Okay, I'll pass that along."

"Pinch the 93 line," the controller told another person. "United 175 just came on the line frequency. He said he heard a suspicious transmission while they were leaving Boston. 'Everybody stay in your seats'. That's what he heard as a suspicious transmission. Just to let you know."

08:42:02 AM

That was the last voice transmission from United 175. The controllers' attention, however, was firmly fixed on the hijacked Flight 11, which was still heading for the World Trade Center.

"Center," someone asked. "Where do you place in relation to American 11 now?"

"He's off about nine o'clock and at about twenty miles," Zack responded. "Looks like he's heading south bound. But there's no transponder. No nothing. And no one's talking to him."


	6. Flyin Low

MANHATTEN, NEW YORK  
>08:43 AM<p>

In Manhatten, the rush hour was reaching its peak. Over a million commuter cars were heading over the bridges and through the tunnels into an island just thirteen miles long.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"If you see the enemy is strong, remember the groups that had formed the coalition to fight the Prophet. They were 10,000, but remember how Allah gave victory to his faithful servants."_

AMERICAN 11  
>08:46 AM<p>

Flight 11 was now heading south along the Manhatten River itself. The aircraft's airspeed had increased dramatically since the dive. Wail al-Shehri and Mohamed Atta struggled to stay in their seats as they plane shook violently. The other three hijackers held on to the seats to stay where they were standing.

Words from Hijackers' manual:

_"When the zero hour approaches, whole heartedly welcome death. For the sake of Allah, always be remembering Allah. Either end your life while praying seconds before the target, or make your last words 'There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger.' Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven. Insha'Allah."_

CABIN

"What's happening?" Amy asked Betty as the plane shook. "What's going on? What's happening? The airplane's all over the place."

_"Can you look out the window?"_ Michael asked.

"I see the water. I see the buildings...I see buildings...We're low...We're far too low."

Betty Ong was looking at the window, sadness in her eyes. Suddenly, Amy realized what was about to happen.

"Oh, my God," she whispered.

WORLD TRADE CENTER

Claire Taylor could not contain her excitement for being a mother. "So, uh, what do we do now?"

_"Well, we'll have to make appointments, see how to tell our families, and all that. What do you think?"_

"I don't know. I guess we could start sched-"

Her attention was taken by a large and very loud object coming towards her.

AMERICAN 11  
>CABIN<p>

Warning sounds and beeping filled the cockpit as the plane was meters away from the World Trade Center. The hijackers were frantically praying and yelling.

"Allāhu Akbar!" they all screamed at the top of their lungs.

NEW YORK

"What's going on, Claire?" Mac asked. "Claire? Claire, talk to me. Claire, are you there? Claire?"

Suddenly, he noticed a plume of fire and smoke coming from the Twin Towers. At 08:46:40 A.M., American Airlines Flight 11's tracker signal disappeared completely from radar. It had struck the the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

CONCLUSION

The crash of Flight 11, along with 175, 77, and 93, started a chain of events that still dominates today's world. In the convulsions that followed, the calm and resourceful actions of Flight 11's crew have not been recognized. But in a very real sense, it was they who began the fight back against the new and appalling terror. What Amy, Betty and the rest of the crew did that day is unbelievable. People talk about heroes. There were heroes in the air. Those heroes were flight attendants. They provided information to the ground that would've taken authorities weeks longer to find out. They helped quicken the investigation. Hopefully, people will realize that flight attendants aren't just people who just throw a crappy meal in your lap because it goes well beyond that.

Dealing with the personal loss of a loved one cannot be described. You have that person in your life for years. Could be your husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, neice, nephew, grandparent, in-law or simply an old friend. And then all of a sudden, your world is completely changed. You're still lucky you get to be here and enjoy life and, you want to, if anything, reach out and grab a piece of that life that your loved one won't be entitled to have.

It's not fair for all the people that day to die like that. You're supposed to die old with your spouse. For Mac Taylor, it was when he and Claire were going to have a child. That day changed him.

Mac's private journal.

_"I know that one day I will see her again in Heaven. That's the only thing that comforts me."_

**May God bless the victims, their families, the heroes and survivors of 9/11. May the deceased rest in peace. May something like 9/11 never, never happen again.**

**In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.**


End file.
